Keaton Otis was a young Black man murdered by the Portland police eight years ago, May 12, 2010. The police admitted they stopped him for "looking like a gangster." They shot him 23 times after tazing him while he sat in the driver's seat. Later police said Keaton had a gun, but have yet to produce it.

Keaton's father Fred Bryant held a monthly vigil on the 12th of every month since his son's murder on the spot where Keaton's life was taken. Fred Bryant did this for over three years, fighting for justice for his son, every single month in the rain, the dark, the heat, the snow. Fred Bryant passed away October 29, 2013.

His family and community have committed to continuing the vigils every month on the 12th, until justice is achieved for Keaton, for Fred, for our whole community.

Not one civilian witness at the scene saw Keaton with a gun -- but we've all seen images of the young father being killed by a gang squad. We demand evidence and justice, See http://justiceforkeatonotis.wordpress.com for more.

Long Description

Keaton Dupree Otis (25) was electrocuted then shot by Portland Police Officers Jim Defrain, Cody Berne and Andrew Polas. Officer Christopher Burley was likely struck by a fragment of one of 32 rounds fired by police. The Otis case reveals what a subsequent DoJ investigation termed Portland's 'self-defeating accountability system.' It shows how a county DA fakes a Grand Jury presentation ... in order to exonerate fellow law enforcers. This case demonstrates how the City of Portland refuses appeals that challenge police investigations into their own conduct. We hope the Keaton Otis case will demonstrate how a community can unmask a cover-up and obtain independent investigations into police misconduct. Never in Portland's history has a police officer been removed from duty for improper use of force. Join us. Obtaining justice will require your energy and assistance.

General Information

On May 12th, 2010, Keaton Otis was killed by Portland police officers after a 'routine traffic-stop' went bad. The official story reports that Keaton Otis had a gun and fired it at the officers, shooting Officer Christopher Burley in the legs. The officers allegedly responded and shot Keaton to death inside of his car.

But there are holes in the story and several questions remain unanswered. Keaton's father, Fred, was never provided adequate evidence that his son had a gun.

As members of the community, we demand that the Portland Police Bureau either produce this "evidence" or hold these officers accountable for this execution.

We demand justice for Keaton Otis. We have subject matter experts, available for media interviews, and seek to make detailed information available to documentary producers.

Please show up to support the family.Keaton was murdered by the Portland Police Department. We have absolute proof on videotape. None of the officers who lied were disciplined, fired or prosecuted. The officers who told the truth were ignored. If our officers are not held accountable for avoidable deaths, the coffins continue.

“He kind of looks like he could be a gangster,” police later claimed, “he’s got his hood up over his head,” and he had “some scruffy, scruffy facial hair.”

A witness testified Keaton Otis appealed for help — “Don’t leave," he pleaded with this stranger, "they’re gonna kill me.”

Witnesses tell of Keaton Otis being punched in the face through the car window, of officers not letting him out of his mother's car. And then multiple officers began nearly continuous use of tasers.

By 6:25pm Keaton Otis was dying. Audio evidence has Keaton Otis screaming, his are hands up. An officer shouts, “Let’s do it!” and three members of Portland's anti-gang HEAT Team open fire.

Two officers were wounded as bullets bounced from a brick wall. It was easily established that the more superficial wounds came from ricochet rounds.

Within minutes Portland’s most notorious police officers — with prior, proven histories of violence against innocent and often black, Portlanders — close associates of the shooters, converged on the scene; taking control of the car, the body and evidence… and arguing to keep the rival Strategic Emergency Response Team from securing the crime scene.

Portland Police began to immediately abuse the criminal justice system. A state-wide investigation will break the ranks of the 'blue wall of silence' and discrepancies in officer accounts, evidence, and medical records will come to light.

With your help, Keaton Otis' death will expose the flaws in the County DA's bogus Grand Jury proceedings. We'll show how skewed testimony and procedural gimmicks prevented your peers from understanding the timeline never permits Keaton to have fired a shot, even if they were ever able to prove he was armed.

Another consequence of your involvement will be to demonstrate the structural deficiencies of Portland's Independent Police Review apparatus. This body, which the US DoJ terms a 'self-defeating accountability system,'persistently refused to investigate ... or even to allow Keaton's father to appeal the City's self-exoneration.

For links to publicly-available documents, including the Grand Jury transcript and transcripts of police interviews with witnesses and officers, officer biographies, press reports, statements and maps click here.